Camp Potter Entries
by Aiden Short
Summary: All the stories I write for the Camp Potter 2 challenge.
1. Little Fierce One

_**Little Fierce One**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**Tech Discovery**_

**Little Fierce One**

Lorcan sat peacefully in the middle of his room, building a replica of Hogwarts out of toy blocks. He was quite fascinated with the place. He'd heard many magical stories about it from his parents, and he dreamed of the day he could have his own adventure there. Granted, the day his Hogwarts letter would arrive was a long ways away, he was content to wait. Lorcan hummed the tune of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", a song his mummy had taught him, quietly to himself as he continued the construction of his masterpiece. Little did he know, his twin brother Lysander was sneaking up behind him, quiet as the night.

"Boo!" Lysander shouted suddenly, jumping on Lorcan playfully causing them to fall forward and knock over Lorcan's block tower.

When Lorcan saw that his masterpiece had been destroyed, his eyes filled with tears. He had worked so hard on it and was so excited to show it to his mummy, and now it was ruined! Lorcan turned his anger and frustration on Lysander and hit him on the head as hard as he could. Lysander, who had just been trying to have a bit of fun with his brother, burst out crying. He didn't understand what he'd done wrong, and thought his brother must not love him anymore. He rubbed his sore head and tried to wipe away the big crocodile tears that kept falling from his eyes as he howled mournfully. Lorcan almost felt sorry for him, but tried not to. It was his fault the Hogwarts block tower was ruined, and Lorcan was still very upset about it.

"What's going on in hear?" a sweet, melodious voice asked suddenly?

Luna was a lovely woman. She had long, wavy dirty-blonde hair that came down to her mid-back, curious silver eyes, and glowing pale skin that resembled her namesake, the moon. She was a bit quirky in the fact that she kept her wand tucked behind her ear for safekeeping and wore radish earrings and a necklace made of butter bear bottle caps. Lorcan thought she was the prettiest lady in the whole entire world. As she stepped into the room with a certain grace about her, he ran to her as fast as his short little five-year-old legs could carry him and hugged her tightly around her knees.

"Mummy!" he cheered. She could help him with his problem. Before he could say anything though, Luna looked across the room to Lysander, who was still wailing loudly.

"What's wrong Lysander?" she asked in him in her pretty, sing-songy voice.

"Lorcan hit me!" Lysander sniffed sadly, still rubbing the spot on his head where Lorcan wacked him.

Luna looked down at Lorcan sternly. "Lorcan, we don't hit people."

"But-"

"No buts," Luna scolded. "I think you need to sit in time-out."

Lorcan could scarcely believe his ears. This wasn't fair at all! He huffed and stomped off to the designated time-out area. It was on the bottom step of the cellar stairs, where it was quiet and away from distractions.

Frustration plagued Lorcan as he sat on the bottom step. He was always getting in trouble for hurting someone or breaking something. It wasn't as if he tried to, he just couldn't control his temper. He really wanted to be good, he hated disappointing his parents, he just didn't know how.

After a few minutes, Lorcan heard someone walk down the steps and sit next to him. He turned to see his mummy looking at him with a curious smile on her face.

"Why did you hit Lysander?" She asked gently.

"Because he scared me and made me knock over my blocks," Lorcan took a shaky breath as tears began to fill his eyes. "I was trying to build the Hogwarts castle for you and I was almost done and he wrecked it."

"Oh baby," Luna sighed as Lorcan's tears began to fall. She pulled him onto her lad for a warm hug. "I'm sure he didn't mean to. You shouldn't have hit him; he thinks you don't love him anymore."

Lorcan looked up in surprise. "I do love him! I just, I was so mad! I wish I didn't hurt him."

Luna looked at her son thoughtfully. "You know what I do when I get mad?"

Lorcan shook his head, eyes wide. He didn't know his mummy _could_ get mad. She was always so calm and level-headed, not at all like him and his fiery temper.

"When I get mad, I take a deep breath and count to five. Then I don't feel so crazy and I can resolve my problems without doing something I regret later." Luna smiled. She tightened her arms around Lorcan and gave him an affectionate kiss on the top of his head. "You should go apologize to Lysander and tell him how you feel, I'm sure he'll understand. Now run along my little fierce one."

Lorcan nodded obediently and clambered off his mummy's lap and up the stairs to find his brother. He found him in their room, curled up on his bed, back to the door, sniffing periodically.

"Lysander?" Lorcan asked tentatively. Lysander turned to face him but remained silent. A few tears were still rolling down his chubby five-year-old cheeks and Lorcan felt very bad that he made his brother so distraught.

"Lysander I'm very sorry I hit you," Lorcan said nervously, hiding his hands behind his back and watching the ground as he kicked it with his left foot. "I do still love you, you know. I was just mad and I'm sorry."

Lysander wiped away his remaining tears. "You mean it?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, I love you."

"I love you too."

Lorcan ran over to the bed and hugged his brother tightly, Lysander hugging back just as tight. After a moment they pulled away from each other and just sat on the bed together, giggling happily.

Suddenly Lysander asked, "Why were you mad?"

Lorcan blushed in embarrassment. In retrospect, the whole thing had been rather trifle. "When you scared me, you made me knock over my block tower. I was trying to build the Hogwarts castle for Mummy."

"I'm sorry," Lysander sympathized. "Maybe I can help you build a new one?"

Full of excitement, Lorcan jumped up and down on the bed. "Okay, let's go!"

They spent the rest of the afternoon rebuilding the Hogwarts block castle together, singing songs and laughing happily, completely unaware of their mummy watching them from the doorway, proud that her little boys loved each other and were getting along perfectly.


	2. The Legend of the Three Brothers

_**The Legend of the Three Brothers**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**Arts & Crafts**_

**The Legend of the Three Brothers**

This is the legend of the Peverell brothers three

Once they crossed a treacherous river, deep and wide as the sea

Safely cheating death

By conjuring a bridge with a single breath.

Then appeared death: a guardian of the river of sorts

And with anger his face contorts

He stood there, right in their path

They were doomed to face his evil wrath.

"Congratulations on avoiding your eventual fate!

"This is something we must celebrate!"

Is what he said instead, recomposing himself

Then he promised them endless wealth.

The eldest, Antioch was a bold, combative man

And he requested death: "Make me the world's most powerful wand, if you can."

So Death fashioned the wand from an elder tree on the river bed

And the power of it went to Antioch's head

Possessing it caused his common sense abatement

To say he bragged would be an understatement.

The next month Antioch was found dead

From a gash in his neck he heavily bled

Gone was his most prized possession

The wand that was his big obsession

And so began the long and bloody chain

The Elder Wand became its owner's bane

Cadmus, the second brother

Requested an object unlike any other

Arrogance ran through his vessels and veins

So he asked for the power to recall those who'd been slain.

Death created the Resurrection Stone

Presenting it to Cadmus with a quiet moan

The man revived his young bride

But she was merely an apparition, his hand passing right through her ghostly hide

So he killed himself to rejoin lover

And his life Death did recover.

Of the brothers, Ignotus was the third

He made sure not to request something too absurd

Though the youngest, he was humble and wise

And asked Death only for a small disguise.

Death gave the boy his own invisibility cloak

And Ignotus but it on and disappeared in the wind like smoke

Later when Death went to retrieve his soul

He was gone; as if he'd been sucked into a black hole.

For years Death searched for the youngest brother

But his trail the cloak did smother

Finally after many decades span

Ignotus stepped out from under the cloak an old man

He handed his cloak to his son

He was ready for his life to be done.

But before he did depart

He shared some words from his heart:

"Being boastful and arrogant is not wise my friend

"These traits will surely lead to an early end

"It is in your best interest to live a life of humility"

And so ends the tale of the Peverell brothers three.


	3. Never Stop Running

_**Never Stop Running**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**First Aid**_

**Never Stop Running **

Thick dark clouds cover the once bright, starry sky, causing the night to be as black as the depths of despair. In the distance, thunder could be heard, its deep, rumbling voice holding its note long and low. On occasion, the night would be lit up by brief flashes of lightening, revealing, if for a quick moment, the terrible destruction that had taken place that day. The wind whistled by my ears, ruffling my hair softly as it sung its slow lamenting tune. It was a fitting night for what had happened that day.

I stood at the edge of the road, gazing at the scene across the street. Inside I felt so cold and empty. Woe bubbled up from the pit of my stomach, sending shivers across my skin that had nothing to do with the chilly breeze. I knew I shouldn't be here. They'd know it was my fault, know what I'd done, what I'd become. I just couldn't help myself. I had to see it one last time.

I closed my eyes and pinched my left upper-arm, hoping desperately that this was all a dream, but the pain was sharp and real, just like everything else that had happened.

Slowly and steadily, I crossed the street to get a closer look at the remains of my home. The once tall, proud house that had sat neatly between the road and the woods with little gardens scattered around it was now a pile of dirt, of nothing, like me.

I walked around the space my house once stood, taking note of where each room used to be. There was the kitchen, where Mother would let me taste things as she made dinner. And there was the living room, where my brother and I played many games and broke many fragile decorations. Over there was Father's study, where he taught me to read and write, and there was my room, which had the most picturesque view of the forest, I place I used to love. I allowed myself to reminisce in my memories of what my life used to be for a moment, then pushed them away and buried them deep. They would only make all this harder, because I could never go back.

Kneeling down, I scooped up the soggy ashes that were all that remained of my house. They were still wet from when the muggle fire-fighters that had come to put out the fire that consumed my family and home. The muggles had come as soon as they saw the smoke, hurrying to help as fast as they could. I heard the sirens on their trucks screaming out urgently from my hiding place in the trees, heard their tires screech against the pavement as the raced down the road. But by the time they arrived, there wasn't much left to save.

I dropped the ashes and stood up; wiping my hands on my trousers as I continued my search for anything that might have survived the fire, though I knew my quest was futile. I should've just left; there was nothing left for me and the ministry people would be coming soon. I couldn't be there when that happened. They would surely reject me for what I was, what I did.

Suddenly, something glinting in gold caught my eye as another flash of lightening lit up the sky. I rushed over to it and brushed aside the ashes that covered it, dropping to my knees again when I saw what it was.

My family smiled and waved up at me from inside the golden frame. For a minute I couldn't believe it survived the flames. Then I remembered the charm my mother had placed over this particular photograph, one that would allow it to stand the tests of time, so there was always something to remember us by.

Seeing the last indication that my family ever lived in this world, I felt the dam that I built around my emotions crack and brake. Everything I didn't want to feel came crashing out and my vision grew blurred. I threw my head back screaming out a "why?" just as the heavens let loose their tears upon the earth. The rain fell hard, like my tears and heavy sobs wrack my body. I was tempted to curl up in the muddy ashes on the ground and lie there till every part of me washed away into nothingness. But I knew I had to move on before they found me.

I almost took the picture with me, but I knew I couldn't. I had to move on. I had to forget.

Placing the frame down gently, I bent my head low and said a prayer for my mom, dad, and brother. I kissed my hand and touched it to the protective glass in front of the photo, smiling sadly as I said my goodbye.

My knees cracked as I got to my feet, but I didn't care. I trudged off in the direction of the woods without a backwards glance. I wanted to look one last time, I really did. I just knew if I looked I might have stayed.

The rain had soaked me to the bone and my empty heart was heavy in my chest. My whole reason for existing was gone; there was really no reason to keep going. I should just let them catch me, give up, but something inside of me wouldn't let me do that. It pushed me to keep going. Pushed me to never stop running, and I did. I ran from the ashy remains of my home, I ran from the Ministry, I ran from the picture of my family, I ran from my memories, I ran from my sadness. And I didn't stop.

I will never stop running.


	4. The Itsy Bisty Spider

_**The Itsy Bitsy Spider**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**Fireworks Show**_

**The Itsy Bitsy Spider**

The scream echoed out across the backyard. It was one of pure terror and it was followed by crying and whimpering. The adults at the Weasley family gathering all rushed outside to see what the matter was, fearing that one of their children was terribly hurt. Upon arriving at the scene, they found all their children gathered around little Molly Jr., who was sitting in the grass, blubbering and pointing at her beloved doll. Big crocodile tears rolled down her chubby three-year-old cheeks and a stream of snot flowed down her upper lip and into her mouth. Her father, Percy moved forward to find out what the problem was when James' voice rose up from the circle of children.

"It's just a spider Molly. Why are you so scared of an itsy, bitsy spider?" laughed out the seven-year-old causing a few of the older children to scowl at him for being so careless of Molly's feelings. James was completely unaware of this as he was rolling around on the ground as he laughed.

"Maybe the spider told her a mean joke," his little brother, Albus, suggested innocently, eyes wide and full of worry. "Did the spider hurt your feelings, Molly?"

Molly simply continued to cry. Her short orange ringlets flopped around as she began to bounce up and down, slowly losing her mind over the fact there was a spider on her doll.

Percy, who'd frozen for a moment when he heard James speak, continued his journey across the lawn to help his daughter, when someone else beat him to it. Roxanne, in all her brave little five-year-old glory, got down on her hands and knees and crawled over to the doll, her long red curls falling over her shoulders and a curious smile on her face.

"Here Spidy, Spidy," she called gently, her lisp very prominent, as she reached out and scooped the spider off the doll. Roxanne held the little bug in her palms close to her face as she examined it. She offered it to Molly. "See, he's nice!"

Molly hid her face in the grass and Roxanne sighed, taking back the spider and moving away from the frightened toddler to set it free. After making sure the arachnid scuttled away safely, Roxanne returned to Molly's side, handing her back her doll. "He's gone now, see?"

Molly's eyes lit up as bright as the sun as she grabbed her doll and hugged it tight. "You save Sally! Thank you Roxy! You're my prince!" And she gave Roxanne a big sloppy kiss on her cheek.

Roxanne made a face of disgust as she wiped the kiss off her face. "Ew Molly! I'm _Not _a Prince! Don't kiss me!"

Speaking in a high girly voice, James clasped his hands by his face and put on a dreamy expression as he looked at Roxanne. "Oh my, it's a prince! I must kiss you!"

"James, no!" Roxanne protested, jumping to her feet and running for the hills. James chased after her shouting, "I have to kiss you Prince!" and the rest of the children followed them, shrieking with laughter. Relieved that the crisis was averted, the adults headed back inside, having a chuckle of their own.

"She hate's spiders just like you, Ron," Ginny laughed, jabbing her brother in his side. Ron flinched away at the jab and swatted back at Ginny.

"Yeah, and with good reason," he defended. "Those things are nasty."

Everyone laughed at that and Ron sputtered on, claiming they were. No one listened to him as they got back to that party, eating, talking, and laughing. Thankfully there were no more spiders.


	5. Dominique in Wonderland

_**Dominique in Wonderland**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**Tech Discovery**_

**Dominique in Wonderland**

"Did you even hear a word I said?"

Dominique turned her gaze from the window at her sister, Victoire's words, slipping out of her daydream. Victoire glared at her little sister sternly. She had been trying to teach Dominique about the importance of applying just the right amount of makeup, not too much and not too little, but Dominique would not pay attention! Victoire tossed her long, silvery-blonde hair over her shoulder and pursed her lips.

"Dominique, how do you expect to make an impression when you go to Hogwarts this fall, if you don't know how to apply your makeup properly?" asked Victoire feeling frustrated at Dominique's lack of interest. "You need to pay attention!"

Sighing, Dominique turned her full body away from the window, trying to give her big sister her full attention. She really didn't care in the slightest about makeup and girly things like that, she'd inherited their father's bright orange hair, big nose, and freckles, so she didn't think even wearing any of that stuff would help to improve her, but she could at least give her sister the courtesy of listening to what she had to say.

"Now, for a casual, everyday look-" and Dominique could hardly bare it! All she wanted to do was stare out the window again and watch the waves wash in and out on the beach. She did her best to pay attention, she really did, but no matter how hard she tried, her mind kept slipping away, down to the beach and into the water, wondering what creatures could be hiding beneath the surface. She thought of the colorful fish, mean sharks, strange-looking underwater plants, blue dolphins, bubbles, great big whales, mysterious creatures lurking in the murky depths-

"Dominique!"

"Hmm?" Dominique snapped out of her fantasy, and looked apologetically at her sister, who was glaring angrily, hands on her hips, makeup half done.

"You know what?" Victoire sighed in defeat. "Just go back to your wonderland, Dominique. We'll try to go over this again tomorrow."

With that, Victoire gathered up her makeup supplies and left the room, leaving Dominique to her own devises. Dominique smiled and turned back to the window, crossing her arms and leaning them against the sill. She rested her head on her arms and let the sight of the wave lull her into another daydream.

_She was underwater, her hair floated out around her head like a halo. She looked around at all the underwater creatures as they went about their day to day business. A school of fish with rainbow-colored scales swam together in synchronization, weaving in-between the large structures of coral. A little orange and white clownfish poked its head out of a brightly colored sea anemone before disappearing inside it again. A narrow grey shark darted along the bottom of the sea floor while several blue dolphins swam high above, disappearing above the water periodically as the jumped with alacrity. The color of everything was so vibrant and pretty. Dominique never wanted to leave._

_Suddenly, she noticed something moving in a very deep, dark place in the ocean. Curiosity overcame her as she swam closer for a better look. The shape darted downward, farther in to the murky depths. Dominique swam on, wanting to find out what the creature could be. Her surrounding grew darker and less life moved about, but she swam on._

_As she swam farther and farther away from the light above, a small amount of light became visible below. Dominique swam closer to it, but it seemed to move farther away the more she swam._

_Just a bit more, she thought to herself as she began to grow tired. Almost-_

"Dominique, time for dinner!"

Again she was awakened from her fantasy, but she didn't mind. She jumped up from her seat at the window and skipped downstairs for dinner. She could just continue imagining her deep sea adventure another time.


	6. Springtime

_**Springtime**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**Arts & Crafts**_

**Springtime**

_Dear Sunshine,_

Springtime is flower blossoms

Scattered across a field

Almost ready to burst into bloom

To fill the world with their sweet smelling fragrance

Springtime is butterfly wings

Frail and new

Just drying off after resting for so many months

Almost ready to fly

Springtime is birds chirping

Their sweet voices so bright and cheery

Lasting all day long

Filling the air with an optimistic tune

Springtime is the crescendo

Of a million frogs and crickets

Their song steadily growing louder

As the night draws on

Springtime is happiness

To feel fresh and alive

After many month of depression

Of cold, dark, empty sadness

Springtime is an epiphany

Realizing what it is you need to be

After years of misdirection

To finally knowing where to go

Springtime is love

Those butterfly wings taking flight inside my stomach

The crescendo of a symphony of birds, crickets, and frogs singing in my heart

Thoughts scattered into incoherency

Springtime is new beginnings

Starting over for the better

A new shot of happiness

Springtime is us

_From Your One and Only,_

_I love you._


	7. Fragile

_**Fragile**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**First Aid**_

**Fragile**

Fragile. Helpless. Weak.

Normally I would've never described him that way. Yet seeing him lie there in the hospitable bed, skin yellow and paper thin, only those words came to my mind. It was hard to believe someone so strong and magical could succumb to a trifle muggle like cancer.

It felt like there was a monster in my stomach, clawing out my insides. Everything I loved in life was almost gone. The thought of losing him made it hard to breathe, I felt like I was drowning.

Outside, there was shouting as his parents argued pettily, even their son being sick wouldn't deter them. They were very selfish. I could hear a door slam as one of them stormed away in a tantrum. I blocked it out.

I gazed around the room at all the wilted flowers and teddy bears people had brought him, perhaps in hopes that their warm wishes and prayers could help him get better. His disease was so unexpected! It had taken everyone by surprise.

He was such a good, happy person, completely undeserving of the wicked fate that had befallen him. He'd been through so many worse things too, to think that _this_ was his downfall. I knew he wouldn't make it through the treatment. They hadn't caught his cancer till far too late in the game.

"We can never starve our loneliness. We can only hope that, by the company of others, it doesn't devour us." I whispered to myself as I sat alone in his hospital room. The quote by the poet, Christopher Pointdexter was so true. Too bad for me, without him, I would be devoured by my loneliness. I had no one else. Without him, I was all alone.

The monster clawed at my heart. I felt like I was being torn apart. I remembered this feeling from the last time I had someone I loved dearly ripped from my grasp. Only this time, I had no one to sew me back together again.

So I suppose he wasn't the only fragile one. 


	8. It's Okay Now

_**It's Okay Now**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**Tech Discovery**_

**It's Okay Now**

"Daddy? Daddy, wake up!"

The small voice called out in the darkness, waking Harry from his sleep. Cracking one eye open groggily, he spied his little daughter Lily looking at him with a worried expression on her face. He glanced to the alarm clock on the night stand next to the bed and saw it was 3:30 a.m. He groaned and turned over. "Lily, it's too early. Go back to bed."

"I can't," Lily whimpered quietly. "I had a bad dream."

Harry sighed and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He looked at his sweet little girl standing there in her pink flower nightgown, clutching her stuffed rabbit as if her life depended on it. He could see a few tear tracks on her cheeks still and was immediately filled with sympathy. He remembered when he had terrible nightmares of his own.

"Would you like some hot chocolate?" he whispered with a smile, receiving a nod. Harry tossed aside his covers, careful not to wake his wife, took Lily by the hand, and led out of his bedroom, down the spiral staircase in the middle of the house, and into the kitchen. After sitting Lily down at the kitchen table, he filled a silver kettle with water and set on the stove to boil.

"So," Harry began as he joined his daughter at the table. "Want to tell me about your dream?"

Lily nodded and rubbed her eyes with a sniff before beginning. "We were all on the beach, you mom, the boys and me, and there were colorful seashells everywhere! There were huge ones and little tiny ones." She exclaimed with an excited glint in her beautiful brown eyes. "They were so pretty! There were sparkly pink ones and sky-blue ones with fluffy white clouds on them. There were bright orange and yellow striped ones and red and gold ones with a lacy pattern on them. So I grabbed my pail and started to collect them."

The kettle began to whistle, so Harry stood to attend to it. He poured the hot water into two mugs, and then stirred in the chocolate mix. He handed Lily one, warning her that it was still hot, and sat down with the other. The warmth of it felt good on his hands. Lily took a moment to breath in the delicious sent of her hot beverage before continuing.

"All of a sudden, you guys all disappeared, I couldn't find you anywhere!" Lily's eyes started to water. "Then all kinds of crabs came out of the shells and chased me down the beach." She blinked and big fat tears rolled down her cheek. "They were going to eat me, but I just couldn't run fast enough! And I kept falling down. I woke up just before they caught me. I was so scared."

Her tears fell faster and soon she was full on sobbing, the true terror of her nightmare really sinking in. Harry rushed over to her and cuddled her in his arms. He rubbed her back and whispered soothing words in her ear, calming her down in a way only a father could. "It's okay. You're alright now. It was only a dream."

Eventually, Lily calmed down and fell asleep again, tired from all her crying. Harry carried her to her bed, tucking her in with a goodnight kiss on her forehead. Feeling too awake to go back to bed as well, Harry enjoyed his hot chocolate by the bay window in the kitchen. And as the dawn broke across the sky, sending waves of orange and pink through the inky black remanence of night, Harry couldn't help but think about what an excellent family he had, and how lucky he was.


	9. Free

_**Free**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**Arts & Crafts**_

**Free**

Oh what a wonderful thing to be free

To not be trapped under lock and key

I can sleep all morning or stay up late

I'm the master of my own fate

I can act immature and childish

If I so happen to wish

I can stay quiet or scream out loud

For this I am very proud

It's ultimately my choice

To do what I want with my voice

This is the opportunity every child should be given

Doesn't matter the way they've been livin'

Wizard, squib, or muggle-born

Their life of capture we shouldn't have to mourn

A war we must wage against Lord Voldemort

This option is not our last resort

But a very excellent choice

Of how to use our voice

It is only the beginning of a battle we'll win

Creating a safer world for our kin

Any lives lost shan't be in vain

For nothing can quench our eternal flame

And someday soon we'll all be

Truly, wildly, wonderfully free


	10. Flash of Red

_**Flash of Red**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**First Aid**_

**Flash of Red**

Streaks of pink, orange, and gold stretched out across the sky from the horizon. The few clouds that flitted about the evening air were turned a deep violet color with bright silver edges. Directly overhead, light cheery blue turned to inky black as the flaming red sun sank towards the horizon. It cast a golden light over the tops of trees in the forbidden forest and reflected almost blindingly off the lake at the base of the Hogwarts castle.

Regulus Black stood atop the astronomy tower, watching the big ball of fire sink lower and lower behind the trees as he waited. The sunset was a beautiful sight, yet the picturesque scene didn't match the dark and dreary thoughts going through the boy's disturbed mind.

"Regulus?" a voice called out, confidence laced through it, but underneath a hint of uncertainty could be heard. Regulus turned at the sound, breaking away from the dark thoughts festering in his mind and weighing heavily on his heart.

"Sirius," he greeted the boy as he stepped out of the shadows of the stairwell. Sirius glared at his little brother with suspicion and moved with caution in his step. Regulus felt a pang of sadness. He remembered when they could trust each other, when they were best friends as well as brothers. He regretted that it all had to change.

"You wanted to meet with me?" Sirius' voice was filled with hostility and Regulus cringed. He took a deep breath, but he just couldn't bring himself to say what he needed to. He knew if there was anything left between his brother and him, any love or friendship at all, it would be gone once he told Sirius. He wished he could keep it a secret forever and rekindle their friendship. Everything could go back to the way it used to be.

But he had to tell him. If he didn't now, he'd find out eventually, and that would just make everything ten times worse. Now was the time.

"I'm joining him."

"What?" the venom in Sirius' voice was sharp and Regulus felt as though he'd been cut with a knife. He knew this would happen. This was definitely the end of them. The reality of losing Sirius sent Regulus spiraling into oblivion. Without his brother, he was nothing, just an empty shell. But then Sirius surprised him by softly asking, "Why?"

Regulus sighed deeply. "I have too."

"No you don't!" Sirius argued squeezing his hands into fists by his side, look of anger on his face.

"Yes I do," Regulus replied sadly. "His people in Hogwarts have been harassing me about it for weeks, they won't take no for an answer. Also, Mother and Father think it's a wonderful idea. They say I'll bring honor to our family name, I can't let them down."

"Just tell them all no!" Sirius growled feeling frustrated. "Be brave for once in your life!"

The comment stung, no matter how true it was. Tears began to prick Regulus' eyes as he shouted back at his brother, but he blinked them away. He couldn't cry, now was not the time. "I'm not like you, okay? I'm not brave or bold or daring! I try, but I'm just a coward. I'm sorry!"

"So what?" Sirius threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "You're just going to go kill a bunch of innocent people because Mother thinks it's a noble idea?"

Regulus ran his fingers through his hair in distress. "You think I want to kill them? All these years of degrading muggles and mud bloods has bothered me just as much as you Sirius. I don't really have much of a choice here."

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Oh how Regulus wished he could turn back time, before everything became so hard, before it all came to this.

"Come away with me," Sirius spoke up sounding desperate. "We can hide you. I'll do everything I can to protect you. Think of the possibilities!"

Regulus hesitated. He could, all this could go away and he could be friends with Sirius again. He wanted to so much, but, "I can't."

"Come on Reg," Sirius' voice shook and his eyes sparkled with tears, something Regulus had never seen happen to his big brother before. "I can't let my baby brother go get hurt. It's my job to keep you safe. If I let you do this, what kind of brother would I be? What's going through your head that makes you think you can do this?"

"You'd lose your mind trying to understand mine," Regulus sighed.

More silence. The two brothers watched each other. This was it for them. Even if they wanted to, they could never be friends again, the paths they chose brought too far apart. Regulus was overwhelmed by sadness. It felt like his heart had been ripped right out of his body and torn to shreds right before his very eyes. He turned away from Sirius and back to the sunset, it was too painful to look at him. The sun had dipped far below the tree line and was almost completely gone. The air was dark and hard to see through, but still had just enough light to trick one's eyes into believing they could.

"If you ever want to come back," Sirius began softly from behind Regulus. "You know you'll always welcome."

"You know as well as I do what dark magic does to a person, Sirius," Regulus sighed without turning to face Sirius. "We've both seen the effects first hand. Once I do this, there's no coming back."

After a pause, Sirius spoke up one more time, his voice shaking wildly as he fought to keep it under control. "I'll miss you."

Turning to his brother with a sad smile, Regulus replied, "I'll miss you too."

Without hesitation, they ran to each other and hugged as if their lives depended on it. They knew this would be their last ever, so they gripped each other tightly. Regulus buried his face in Sirius' chest, the latter kissing his little brothers hair. This simple gesture was able to convey what words could not. It let Regulus know, that no matter what happened, his big brother would always love him.

Neither wanted the hug to end, but they both knew it had too. They pulled away from each other and Sirius coughed awkwardly. "Come on. We better get back to our dorms. We don't want to get detention."

And with that they went their separate ways. Regulus turned once more to look at the sunset, and caught a flash of red as the sun disappeared completely. It seemed that as his friendship with his brother ended, so did they day. And while he knew tomorrow brought new beginnings, he couldn't help but dread what those beginnings were of.

Oh how he longed for yesterday.


	11. Just a Little Crush

_**Just a Little Crush**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**Fireworks Show**_

**Just a Little Crush**

Rose Weasley strode down the hallway at a quick pace. She didn't want to be late for her very first class ever at Hogwarts, but she couldn't seem to find where it was. She had her head down looking at her schedule, so she didn't see the boy hurrying in opposite direction as her, right in her path, until it was too late. They crashed into each other, their books, quills, and parchment scattered everywhere and Rose was knocked onto her bum from the full force of their head-on collision.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

Rose rubbed her sore bum as she looked up at the boy who knocked her over, but had miraculously remained on his feet, and her heart skipped a beat. Standing before her, holding out a hand to help her up, was none other than Scorpius Malfoy. Hesitantly, she took his offered hand and he hauled her to her feet.

Her father had warned her away from him at the start of the year for some unknown reason, so she had done her best to avoid him at all costs. She sat at the opposite end of the Hogwarts Express as him, she'd kept her eyes trained on her lap when she had to share a boat with him for the trip across the lake in front the castle, and she'd been positively relived when they were sorted into different houses; her in Gryffindor, him in Slytherin.

But now, with the boy giving her an embarrassed smile, a deep red blush splashed across his face, and sounding genuinely concerned if she was alright or not, she had to wonder if her dad was wrong about him. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry I bumped into you, I should have been watching where I was going," Scorpius scratched the back of his head and looked at the floor, refusing to look her in the eyes. Rose had to smile at that. The poor boy was so embarrassed and nervous, it was kind of cute.

"I'm fine," Rose assured him. "It was just as much my fault as yours. I wasn't watching where I was going either."

She began to gather her scattered items, and Scorpius rushed to help her. Rose felt happiness bubble up inside her as she watched him scramble around on his hands and knees like a madman, trying to grab all her stuff for her.

"Thanks for helping me," Rose smiled at him, sitting back on her heels and fiddling with a quill pen in her hands.

"Oh, uh, m-my pleasure," Scorpius stuttered out turning a lovely shade of scarlet as he stacked all her books in a tall, teetering pile. Nervous laughter escaped his lips as he continued to ramble. "I just- I like helping. Someone like you shouldn't- I mean- It wouldn't- I, uh- Your pretty."

If it could even be possible, he turned an even darker shade of red when he realized what he'd just blurted out. He suddenly became very interested in his shirt, fiddling with the hem and refusing to look at Rose, who began to blush a bit as well.

"Thanks," she giggled and a dozen butterflies began to flutter around her stomach. Tucking her bright orange hair behind her ear, she asked nervously. "Do you think you could help me find my class?"

"Sure," Scorpius replied shyly. They stood up together, Scorpius carrying her heavy stack of books. Rose tried to take them back, but he insisted he wanted to carry them for her. "It's the gentleman thing to do." He informed her matter-o-factly. Rose giggled at that, and they started off to class together, each with a mass of butterflies in their stomachs. And Rose knew her dad was wrong about Scorpius.

Rose knew she would have to see Scorpius again. She really wanted to get to know him, as the little crush she had on him demanded she do. And why shouldn't want to? He was her first crush, after all.


	12. I'm a Loser, But That's Okay

_**I'm a Loser, But That's Okay**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**Tech Discovery**_

**I'm a Loser, But That's Okay**

"Loser!"

Scorpius winced at the whispered offence. He'd been called that since his very first day of high school, but it still hurt. He tried to keep his focus on his book as he sat at the little table in the library; reading was an excellent way to escape one's problems. Even so, he felt the tears begin to form. He blinked rapidly in attempts to keep them from falling. If it was found out that Scorpius Malfoy was crying in the library, it could only end badly.

He could just imagine what they might call him then.

Crybaby, wimp, prissy-pants.

He sighed shakily as he hid his face behind his book so he could wipe his eyes without anyone noticing. Scorpius wasn't even sure why the words bothered him so much. They were just words! They weren't even the worst of what he_ could_ be called. Regardless, they struck him hard, made him feel worthless. Maybe it was because _all_ the kids called him names, or maybe it just reminded him of his mother and how she called him a waste of space, either way, more often than not, he wished desperately that he could disappear.

"Excuse me, are you okay?"

Scorpius whipped his head around, surprised to be spoken to in a non-violent manner. Standing before him was a small boy about his age with unruly black hair, bright green eyes, and a concerned smile. The boy looked expectantly at Scorpius, waiting for an answer, but Scorpius could only stare in amazement, eyes wide and mouth agape, completely shocked that this boy was actually acting pleasantly towards him.

After a lengthily pause, the boy repeated his question. "I said, are you okay?"

Shaking his head a little to rid himself of his stunned stupor, Scorpius returned to his book, mumbling a, "Fine." He wasn't entirely used to positive social interactions, seeing as everyone only picked on him, so he felt a bit awkward. In a way, he wished the boy would walk away and leave him alone, yet deep down, he hoped he wouldn't.

"May I sit down?" the boy asked with a cheery smile, gesturing to a chair opposite the one Scorpius occupied. Scorpius merely nodded, trying to show the boy he was disinterested in any sort of friendship, but he hoped desperately that the boy wouldn't take the hint.

"I'm Albus, by the way," the boy said flopping down on the chair lazily. "Albus Potter."

"Scorpius Malfoy," Scorpius replied, peaking over the top of his book shyly.

Albus gave him a big cheeky grin. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Scorpius."

"Likewise."

Silence ensued as Scorpius returned to his book and Albus continued to stare.

"So," Albus said casually. "I just moved here, I don't know anyone, want to be my friend?"

Scorpius dropped his book into his lap and stared at Albus hard. The boy simply continued to smile at Scorpius as if he didn't have a care in the world. "You do know," Scorpius frowned at Albus. "That I'm the school loser."

"So?" Albus asked with a shrug.

"So," Scorpius said forcefully. "If you befriend me, I will only bring you down. Everyone will pick on you too, and you won't ever be able to make any other friends!"

Albus shrugged again. "Still failing to see the problem here."

Scorpius growled in frustration. "I'm a loser! No one wants to be friends with a loser!"

"I do!" Albus exclaimed, sitting forward in his seat and throwing out his arms for emphasis.

"Why?" Scorpius asked genuinely curious, leaning forward as well and putting his head on his hands and resting his elbows on the table between them.

"I'm a loser too, but that's okay," Albus explained slouching back in his chair. "At my old school, nobody liked me, so I know how you feel. But I didn't let it bother, I owned being a loser! I don't really care if I get pegged as the loser again, we can just be losers together."

He smiled proudly after he finished his little speech, and Scorpius shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips.

"You are on interesting dude, Albus," Scorpius returned to his book, ending the conversation. But he knew he wouldn't be alone anymore. He had a friend, whether he liked it or not. Though he thought he just might.

And yeah, he was a loser, but that was okay. Now he wasn't alone. That sounded pretty darn good to him.


	13. Blind and Abandoned

_**Blind and Abandoned**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**First Aid**_

**Blind and Abandoned**

Darkness. That's all I know anymore. It surrounds me, makes me feel like I'm drowning. It's everywhere. What I wouldn't give for just one last glimpse of sunlight.

We never should have been here in the first place. If only we'd stayed in our dorms like we were supposed to. Not a minute goes by while I'm trapped in this god forsaken place that I don't wish I'd just said _no_, that I didn't come along on that midnight trip to Hogsmead. I'd had that feeling, that little voice inside my head that whispered, _don't go, don't go, _and I brushed it aside. There were so many warning signs, almost being caught twice on our way to the secret passage, the way the ceiling on the tunnel looked like it was going to cave in, that dog that barked at us, seemingly almost warning us of what was to come, and I just disregarded it all. So many regrets, so little time lift for me.

I keep going back in my head to all the times I should have stepped in, stopped what was happening. When Stan suggested we go out partying even though we had a potions test the next morning, when we almost got caught the first time by Filch, definitely the second time when we were almost caught by his awful cat, when I saw how unstable the tunnel looked, when Stan and Jessie started a drinking match, when they started to get drunk, once they were so piss-drunk they could barely walk yet kept partying anyway, when they got in that fight in the tunnel, when they drew their wands, any one of those times! Yet I did nothing.

I remember the terror I felt when Jessie's hex hit the walls of the tunnel, it felt like the ground was shaking as if the world was ending. I guess it did end for us. Dirt and rock fell from the ceiling, it was everywhere. It roared in my ears and I could hardly see. I remember being frozen in fear, completely stuck; it was the worst feeling in the world. I saw Stan make a run for the exit, but the debris crashed down right on his back and he was gone. As the dust finally cleared away Jessie and I were left trapped between two huge walls of dirt and rock. There was no way out.

Jessie tried digging for hours while I sat in a corner and cried. Eventually he gave up, first on digging, then on his will to live. Even now as I look over at him curled up in a corner, chest rising and falling shallowly, I know he's still there, but he's not. He's not really with me anymore. I feel so lonely. But I know I'll be where he is shortly. We're living on borrowed time and it's almost up.

The air tastes so stale, makes it hard to breath. I keep thinking _this isn't real, it's just a dream, this isn't happening!_ But I am very much awake right now and the situation is very real. Never again will I see the sky, beautiful regardless of the weather, or the big silver moon lighting up the night. Never again will I hear the birds chirping in the day or the frogs and crickets singing at night. Never again will I feel the warmth of the sun on my back, or the comfort of my mother's hugs, warmer and more wonderful than the sun by far. Never again will I smell the grass and flowers and my mother's cooking, even worse is the fact I'll never taste it again. Nor will I ever taste chocolate again. God, what I wouldn't give for some chocolate right now. Hell, what I wouldn't give to get out of this _cave_!

Surely they've noticed we've gone missing by now. They could be coming to get us right now. But that's just wishful thinking. Even if they did notice we were gone, it would take them a long time to find us. They wouldn't even know to look for the secret passageway. No one knew it was there but us. Besides, I don't even know how long we've been trapped here. With a lack of light comes the lack of the sense of time.

I'm so hungry. My stomach is screaming for even the smallest taste of food. I never ate dinner that night. Oh how I regret that now. I regret everything now.

I feel the need to curl up in a ball and give up like Jamie. We're almost out of time. And no one is going to come and save us.


	14. Whoops!

_**Whoops!**_

_**Aiden Short**_

_**Lupin Cabin**_

_**Fireworks Show**_

**Whoops!**

_**A/N: Contains a little bit of mature content. Nothing really explicit, just something that might make some people a little uncomfortable. I don't know. Just thought I'd warn you.**_

His life was composed of a series of accidents. Starting way back from when his dad forgot use a condom the night he was conceived, all the way up to his biggest mistake yet. Everything that made him who he was was just an accident, or a foolish mistake. He didn't mean for any of it to occur, just like he didn't mean to sleep with his older brother's slutty boyfriend. It just sort of happened.

It all started a week ago. Regulus was hanging outside his school, around back where no one ever went except to smoke. He was sitting with his back against the building, wallowing in self pity. He'd flunked his math test that morning, so he knew he'd hear it from his parents when he got home. Also he'd fallen into a rose bush on his way back here, cutting his palms and ripping his jeans. To top it all off, he'd lost his pack of cigarettes, so he couldn't even smoke away his problems!

Suddenly he heard giggling, and his brother turned the corner, dragging behind him his twinky little boyfriend.They stopped when they saw Regulus, his brother, Sirius, glaring at him and his boyfriend peeking out from behind Sirius.

"Get out of here Reg," Sirius growled his dark eyes full of warning.

"Fine," Regulus groaned as he hauled himself off the ground and brushed past them. Sirius' boyfriend gave Reg a secret wink as he left and he knew it didn't mean anything. It was just another accident the Universe directed at him.

(^-^)

It wasn't until a few days later in the week that things really started to go wrong. Regulus was lying on his back in his bed listening to music through the crappy speaker on his iPod. It was very quiet and made Regulus feel unsettled that any passersby could hear what he was listening to. But he had dropped his head phones in a puddle a few weeks before, so they were inoperable. Another unfortunate accident.

Sirius came barging into the room and flopped down on Regulus' bed as if he owned the place.

Regulus propped himself up on his elbows to glare at his brother. "Don't you have the decency to knock?"

"Nope!" Sirius gave him his award-winning cheeky smile and Regulus rolled his eyes. He took a moment to shut off his music, and then turned back to his brother, giving him an expectant look.

"So what do you want?"

"Me and the Marauders have a special plan for this Friday," Sirius smirked. "We need a look out."

"A special plan?" Regulus asked skeptically.

Sirius chuckled and ruffled Regulus' hair patronizingly. "You're on a need-to-know basis, Reg. So what do you say? You in?"

Regulus batted Sirius' hand away and looked at the ceiling as he thought about it. "Is it illegal?"

"When are the things I do not?" Sirius laughed throwing his head back and his long black hair bounced about.

He was apprehensive. This was surely going to end in a humungous accident, but when did things not go wrong when he was around? Might as well live life to the fullest and make the most out of any situation. So what if this night was sure to go down in flames. He would do his best to not let his brother down.

"I'm in!"

(^-^)

"Just stay here and keep watch, can you do that?" James asked getting Regulus situated at his look out post.

"Why do you even need me?" Regulus asked trying to get comfortable in the bush he was hiding in. "This street is like deserted!"

James shrugged nonchalantly. "The cops just got this big grant. They patrol this street regularly every night."

Regulus nodded in understanding. He'd read about the grant in the paper.

"So you remember the signal?" James asked fixing his wild bed head, only serving to make it messier.

"Yeah, I just have to text you if I see a cop drive by," Regulus replied snarkily. "It's not that hard of a thing to remember.

Winking and shooting him a double barrel, James took off to the old abandoned warehouse where the rest of the Marauder already waiting, to perform whatever dastardly deed they had planned this time.

Regulus settled down to keep watch. This wasn't too bad of a job. He was perfectly hidden so no matter what he wouldn't be caught, and the night air was comfortably warm. His spot was actually quite comfortable, he could fall asleep there. In fact he was feeling a little tired. Maybe he could rest his eyes for just a minute- No! He had to stay awake for Sirius! But his eyes were so heavy; he really needed to stop staying up so late. He felt like he was going to fall a-

Suddenly he woke up to loud sirens. Startled, he looked around wildly to find out where he was. Then he remembered. He was supposed to keep a watch out for the Marauders. But he'd fallen asleep. Good thing those sirens woke him- Sirens! Oh no the cops! He looked in the direction of the warehouse to see Sirius, James, and Peter, as well as two other scruffy looking guys, in handcuffs being led into cop cars. He saw Sirius glance over in his direction and they made eye contact. He could see the disappointment in Sirius' eyes, but his brother didn't rat him out. He just went quietly into the cop car.

Tears pricked Regulus' eyes when he realized what he'd done. He'd failed his brother. He'd fallen asleep by accident and let his brother get arrested! Their parents were going to kill Sirius and it was all Reg's fault.

He had to bail Sirius out, somehow.

(^-^)

The guilt was eating Regulus alive. It clawed away at his inside, ripping his stomach to shreds until there was nothing left. He'd been able to intercept the phone call from the police and he covered for Sirius the next morning. His parents didn't suspect a thing. But he only had twenty dollars and Sirius had forty. It wasn't nearly enough to bail him out of jail. He needed help from someone else.

_Knock, knock._

Regulus stood waiting, his palms so sweaty they dripped onto his jeans leaving conspicuous wet spots. It seemed like an eternity before someone answered the door. He was probably totally wrong in coming here, but it was the only place he could think of.

"Hello, may I help you?"

Smiling nervously, Regulus looked up into the face of the devil himself. Sirius' little twink of a boyfriend leaned against the door frame innocently, but with a seductive smile across his sinful lips. He wore nothing but an oversized t-shirt that once belonged to Sirius and booty shorts. Looking down again, Regulus discovered that he'd also shaved his legs.

"Uh h-hi," Regulus stuttered out. "A-are you S-sirius Black's b-boyf-friend?"

"Remus," he batted his long eyelashes and brushed his longish, feathery tawny hair out of his big amber eyes. Regulus felt weak at the knees.

"I-I'm his b-b-brother, Regulus."

"Nice to meet you Regulus," Remus flirted. "Do you need something? Anything I can help you with?"

His voice was sweet like honey and Regulus could hardly think straight (no pun intended). "Uh no, I mean yes, I mean, Sirius needs some help."

"What did he do this time?" Remus raised a delicate eyebrow.

"He's in prison."

Remus pouted, which was somehow even sexier than his smile. "Oh of course he is! I'm so sick of that boy, always getting into trouble! I've had it up to here!" he placed one hand on his jutted out hip and the other he held up to his eye level in form of measurement, which ended up not being very high compared to the rest of the world because he was so short. He glared at Regulus suspiciously. "I expect you need me to bail him out?"

"Please" Regulus begged. "It's my fault he got in, I was supposed to be lookout but I fell asleep. I don't have enough money to bail him out. His bail is a hundred and I only have sixty. I just need forty. I'll pay you back, I promise! Please?"

"Well, if it's for you," Remus flicked his hair back again. "Come on in and stay a while. The parents are out and I need a little company."

Regulus stepped into the house and was immediately uncomfortable. It was as delicate and cute as Remus himself. Unfortunately it was also full of many fragile items, and seeing as Regulus was an accident waiting to happen, he tried to tread as lightly as he can.

Taking a seat on a velvety soft couch in the living room, Regulus felt extremely out of place. Remus pranced past him into the kitchen, hips swaying. His pretty voice called out from the other room, "Would you like a beer Reg?"

"Sure," Regulus coughed.

They sat together on the velvet couch, drinking beer after beer until they were properly drunk, laughing and talking the whole time. Somehow they ended up kissing, Regulus wasn't sure exactly how. It was all tongue and teeth, and Remus was straddling his lap and pulling at his hair, and he had his hands on Remus' waist, then rubbing down his thighs, then cupping his ass. Remus had such a wonderful body, curvy and small like a woman's, yet still muscular and strong like a man's. Remus grinded down on Regulus' lap and it felt so, so good. There was a little voice in the back of his mind, warning him that this was not a good idea, but he ignored it. And the rest was history.

(^-^)

They were lying together in Remus' bed, naked and smoking. Regulus lay on his back with the covers pulled up to his navel. Remus was on his stomach with his feet in the air, the sheets just across his bum. He traced patterns on Regulus' chest, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. The air was cloudy with cigarette smoke and smelled of the sickly sweet fags and sex.

All that Regulus' could think at the moment though, was_ what have I just done?_ Not only had he gotten his brother arrested, but then he went and slept with his boyfriend. What kind of a person even was he? A mantra of _stupid, stupid, stupid _played through his head and he felt as though he could puke from the guilt eating away at his insides.

Remus seemed completely unconcerned with the whole affair and smiled seductively at Reg, reaching up to remove the cigarette from his mouth to blow the smoke from his lungs. "That was really good Reg. We'll have to hook up again sometime."

The little twink untangled himself from the blankets and slid off the bed, placing his cigarette in an ash tray and beginning to dress himself. Regulus just stared up at the ceiling, cursing the universe for all it was worth. His whole life was just one big accident, nothing he did purposely, it just happened that way.


End file.
